Smooth Scaling
by Ryunn Kazan
Summary: It's mating season for the sea life of Storybrooke, and Rumple the merman can only think of one woman he wants to mate with...


The waters of Storybrooke were warmer, signaling the change in the seasons. This wouldn't have bothered the young merman if it weren't for the tingling sensation creeping through his tail and gills which undoubtedly meant that it was the beginning of mating season, not just for the creatures of the sea, but also for the very few merfolk left in the oceans.

Rumple frowned at the thought of the upcoming season. He had never been very successful when it came to finding a mate. Mermaids were very finnicky when it came to choosing their mates, being that they mated for life and had countless offspring. They strived for the mermen with the thickest arms and shiniest tales which Rumple, with his strong but wiry arms and torn tail with missing scales, lacked.

After countless years of rejections and sneering from the stronger mermen, Rumple had given up on ever finding a mate to spend the rest of his days with. He had learned to live in a lonely but not unsatisfying existence among the sea life, protecting the turtles and dolphins from nets and trash the humans carelessly dumped, ignoring the tingles and trembling that signaled it was time to mate.

That is, until a year ago when a beautiful marine biologist and bibliophile named Belle French sat on his secluded square of beach and changed the mundane system of his life.

It was the thought of her that made his urge to mate stronger than ever.

Belle was so beautiful, with her pearl-white skin and eyes blue as the distant sea, but it was her understanding of him that was truly beautiful. When they first met, he had been destroying boats and fishing equipment to protect the harbor, but Belle had stepped in and worked out an arrangement with the humans and the destruction of his harbor decreased significantly.

After that, they spent months learning about each other, going on adventures here and there, and Rumple had irrevocably, but platonically, fallen in love with her.

It wasn't until the stirrings began that the love he felt for her had turned into an instinctual lust.

When he realized his new feelings for Belle, he was disturbed that he could feel such a thing for her. A human! Beautiful, smart, amazing Belle at that!

Then, as thoughts of her became muddled with his instincts, he thought, why not?

He loved Belle, and knew with certainty that she was attracted to him. She was always raving how beautiful a swimmer he was or how his scales looked like gold coins in the sunlight. She wasn't afraid to touch him or even ride atop his back when they went on their watery adventures. They shared kisses and cuddled all the time.

He pondered exactly how he could approach the subject of Belle being his mate as he sunned behind the cluster of rocks at _their_ place, the little cluster of beach ignored by the people of Storybrooke but miraculously found by Belle. It was as if nature wanted them together.

He heard sand shifting above and sat up, smiling gleefully as Belle tried not to roll down the hill, flip-flops and sunglasses dangling from one hand while she used her other to try and balance her giant beach bag. She stumbled down the dune, making an ungraceful jump to steady ground.

"Hi Rumple!" she gasped as she reached the shore, spreading out her blanket.

Rumple crawled through the sand until he was lying beside the blanket. "Hi Be…" he trailed off as Belle pulled off her tank top, her pearl-white breasts bouncing in her tight swimsuit top.

"Whoa, it's hot today!" Belle whooped as she fell back on the blanket.

Rumple gaped at her peeking breasts and long, silky legs. Though he admired her features, his attention had never been focused _directly_ on them. But now with his hormones raging…

"Belle!" Rumple gasped desperately. "I need to ask you something!"

Belle stared at him. "You okay?"

"Yes!" Rumple nodded. "I just wanted to know if…" Rumple stared into her eyes, blue as the ocean in the early morning sun. So full of love for him, of acceptance.

So unsuspecting and undeserving of his lustful instincts.

"If you'd…" he sighed, courage evaporating like puddles on a hot day. "If you'd like to go swimming with dolphins today."

Belle gleamed with excitement. "Oh Rumple that sounds beautiful! Now?"

He nodded, mentally beating himself for his lapse of courage as Belle trifled through her bag.

"Could you rub the sunscreen on my back?" she inquired as she started to undo the string of her swimsuit top.

 _Oh Poseidon's trident why!?_

Rumple pulled himself up, curling his tail under, struggling with the cap of SPF 100 until he squirted a fat blob into his scaly palm.

"Um…"

"It's fine." Belle commented. "Just spread it out as evenly as you can."

Rumple stared at her glistening back, eyes trailing over the adorable moles and blemishes. The cool glop became heavy in his palm as he continued to hesitate.

Belle glanced back, holding her brown curls out of the way. "Rumple?"

The merman slapped her back, causing the goop to ooze between his fingers.

"Ouch! Careful!"

"S-sorry." He muttered, circling the sunscreen, mesmerized by how the white oil faded into her pores and left a slick residue on her beautiful porcelain skin. Oh and it smelled so good mixed with her scent: salt and coconuts and warmth.

Belle sighed as Rumple rubbed the sunscreen into her skin. His rough, scaly hands felt erotic on her back and shoulders, relaxing her yet sending a tingling pleasure through her nerves. She wondered what they would feel like on other parts of her body…

Belle tensed at a flash of Rumple's hand running over her thighs.

What was she thinking! She couldn't look at Rumple…like _that_.

She loved Rumple, and knew with certainty that he was attracted to her. She saw the love in his eyes every time she came to visit him. He was always offering her little gifts from his cave and touching her. Not inappropriately or against her will, just running his fingers through her hair or intertwining their fingers. They even shared kisses and cuddled.

Those touches had never incited the feelings they were now. She felt warmer somehow, more weighed down.

"I…think you're ready…Belle." Rumple said suddenly, pulling Belle out of her daze.

Belle gasped, pulling regretfully from the merman's grip. "T-thanks."

Rumple nodded, not quite meeting her eyes. "I'll…be right back."

Belle followed Rumple until they were waist-deep, then watched him duck into the waters to summon the dolphins.

"He really is magical." Belle thought aloud. He was clever, maliciously so, but still greatly intelligent. He was devoted to the ocean and all who inhabited it, and just as devoted to her.

He loved her. It was such a beautifully painful realization because Belle felt the same way. He was everything she ever wanted in a companion. But Belle also knew that expressing her love for him would only confuse him, and she never wanted to hurt him.

Rumple resurfaced and Belle forced a smile.

"There they are." Rumple whispered, pointing to the distance.

Belle watched in wonder as several dolphins cruised a in the water, coming up for air and chasing each other around, waiting for the couple.

Belle met Rumple in the water and slid onto his back. She locked her legs around his waist and arms around his neck, resting her chin on the space between his shoulder and neck.

They swam deeper into the harbor, picking up speed.

"Whoooo-whoo!" Belle exclaimed as she and Rumple sped on the surface of the water alongside the myriad of dolphins. The mighty dolphins certainly had her mer-boyfriend beat with balance due to his torn fin, but his wiry yet surprisingly strong arms had them beat in speed.

"Should I get off?" Belle yelled over the wind as they began lagging behind.

"No!" Rumple shouted out. "Hang on tight; rough waves!"

Belle clenched her thighs harder down around the waist of his tail. Though Rumple's scales weren't slimy, they were still slippery when wet and Belle was having a hard time staying on. She kept adjusting herself, unintentionally rubbing herself up and down his tale until heat started pooling in her lower belly.

Belle blushed at the feeling, not sure if she should be ashamed or aroused. Why was she feeling these things all of a sudden? She and Rumple did things like this all the time and it had never affected her this way.

So consumed with her thoughts that she didn't see the giant wave racing to them. Rumple jumped to miss it and immediately felt Belle's weight lift from his back and collide back down sharply before she screamed and fell into the ocean.

"Belle!"

Rumple dove after her, finding her instantly and pulling her to the surface, rushing her to calmer waters.

It took a moment to realize what had happened. One second she was struggling not to let the tingling in her loins overpower her and the next she was having an orgasm so intense that she lost momentary control of her limbs. The aftershocks of it continued to shake her even as she plunged into the ocean and took in a large gulp of salt water. She felt Rumple's arm wrap around her and pull her urgently to shore, holding her up by her shoulders as he examined her.

"Belle! Oh Belle are you alright? Did you hurt anything?" he pleaded as he checked her arms.

Belle coughed and blew the salty water from her senses and nodded.

"Fine." She wheezed.

Behind them he dolphins began to cackle, mocking them for their wipeout and defeat.

Rumple hissed at them. "I'll let the humans turn you into canned goods!"

One of the dolphins cackled again before leading its pack back into the depths of the ocean, leaving the couple alone.

Rumple humped. Majestic dolphins? Prissy peacocks was more like it.

Another cough from Belle led him from is annoyance. He circled an arm around her waist and helped her climb back on his back.

"Let's get you dried off."

"Just…take it slow, okay?" Belle inquired shakily, the dregs of her surprise orgasm still dying away.

Rumple nodded, doing his best to ignore the pressure of her delicate weight on his tail.

He got her back to shore without too much of a fuss and crawled up the sand beside her as she pulled her towel out of her bag.

Rumple watched her run her fingers through her salt-coated hair, working out the tangles. She was indeed more beautiful than any creature in the sea. Oh he loved her, every bit of her, even the parts unattainable to him.

 _No you shark! Don't think about her_ _ **parts**_ _!_

He drummed his fingers on a seashell, keeping his eyes away from her.

"Rumple," Belle asked suddenly, "can I ask you something?"

Rumple startled. "Of course Belle. You know you can ask me anything."

Belle chewed worriedly on her withered lip. "How…how do you feel about me?"

Rumple blinked, his mouth going dry. If only she knew…

"I love you Belle. I…thought you knew that."

Belle giggled. "I do Rumple I do. I just…" she rubbed her hands nervously across her sand-coated knees. "What do you think of me physically?"

Rumple gulped, his pulse and hormones racing all the more. "I…you're beautiful…"

Belle scooted closer to him. "Rumple," she began as she lifted his chin. "please look at me."

Rumple grasped the hand under his chin and brought it to his mouth, holding it while he inhaled the scent of the ocean from her skin. The smell alone stirred the fire inside of him. He lowered his hand to his mouth and ran his tongue along her skin and between her fingers

"Belle…"

Belle stared at her mer-boyfriend in curious astonishment. "Rum…"

"Belle Belle Belle…" he groaned as he rubbed his face against her palm.

The merman finally looked up at her impossibly blue eyes. She was afraid, not of him, but for him.

"Something's changed between us Rumple." Belle affirmed.

"It's me Belle." Rumple answered, focusing his gaze on her collar bone.

"What's you? What's going on Rumple?"

"It's mating season Belle." He admitted at last. "And I…I feel things for you that I shouldn't…"

Belle paused as she let the vague information set in. She was aware that it was mating season for the sea life of Storybrooke, as she had learned their patterns during her stay, but she hadn't given Rumple's nature a lot of thought. It pained her to think that her friend was going through a similar sexual crisis like her.

"Rumple, it's okay." Belle reassured gently. "You can't help biology."

"But Belle," Rumple groaned, squirming in the shallow waters. "I _feel_ things for you! I love you, I have for so long, but it's not love I'm feeling now. It's lust. And…I'm ashamed."

Belle took hold of his shoulders and helped him sit up so that she could properly straddle his tail.

"Do you believe that I love you?" Belle asked him, rubbing his shoulders soothingly.

Rumple gulped, his pulse racing and hormones pulsing. "Of course."

Belle placed a hand over his racing heart. "Then please trust me when I say that I feel the same things for you. And though I'm…confused…I'm not ashamed, and you shouldn't be either."

Rumple stared at her in surprise, but then felt a rush of gratefulness. His desire was becoming unbearable and he was relieved that she would be willing to consent to his proposal.

"Are you sure of your feelings are towards me?"

"Of course I'm sure. I know how I feel. Don't you?"

"I want to be with you Belle but should know…merfolk take their mating rituals very seriously."

Belle shrugged. "Some humans do too. I for one do."

"We mate for life Belle." Rumple confided, taking hold of one of her hands and intertwining their fingers. "We can't separate from our mates once we choose them."

Belle tilted her head. "Have you been with another merperson before?"

Rumple grimaced. "No. I never…it just never worked out for me."

Belle laughed humorlessly. "Tell me about it."

Rumple's thumb soothed over her smooth palm. "And you?"

Belle shook her head, looking almost sad. "Almost, a few times. But…it just never worked out."

Rumple frowned at the thought of the sharks that had dared denied his Belle. They could have had the most amazing woman by their side!

"But it's better this way." Belle continued. "I have you."

Heat coursed through his chest. He smiled lovingly at her and kissed her hand.

"I do love you Belle."

"Then let's do it!" Belle said excitedly. "Let's be together always."

Rumple leaned up and kissed her, slow and sensational. He petted her damp hair as he pulled back, sighing as he kissed the corners of her mouth and her chin.

"Just let me lead you Belle. Let me lead."

Belle nodded and let him pull her into the water until she had to climb on his back. He took them deep into the waters, near a patch of coral reef that was starting to bloom with the summer life. When he stopped, he pulled her around to his chest and helped her float.

"Traditionally, this is done underwater." Rumple explained. "Unless…"

"No." Belle shook her head, nervous but excited too. And a little warm even in the cool waters. "I want to do it the way your kind does it. I trust you."

She kissed Rumple back when he put his lips to hers, but was surprised when his lips didn't move against hers in response. Instead, he began breathing air into her lungs as he pulled them into the water.

Belle moaned into Rumple's mouth, breathing in the air he was sending to her lungs. She pulled away briefly to look into his lustful, golden eyes, her eyes barely burning from the salt water thanks to the thicker contacts she had switched to.

Rumple's hands scaled down her naked sides to her hips and buttock, firm from years of intense swimming. He gently grasped her hips and encouraged her to wrap her legs around his waist, pulling at the string of her bikini bottoms while his other hand undid the top.

Belle allowed him to maneuver her and gasped into his mouth when his scaly tail erotically rubbed against her clit. Her arms swayed by his sides, unsure where or what to grasp in her mission for completion.

Rumple made sure he had a firm grip on her before he began to slowly circle them, creating a sort of dance, all the while applying small thrusts against her pelvis. He felt heat greater than the one flushing through his body collect in the center of his tail, level at the place where Belle's mating parts were. He glanced down long enough to see a phallus extend from his tale, scale-less but gold like the rest of his tail, brushing against Belle's thigh.

He was nervous then. He didn't know the extent of what would happen next, didn't know if once it happened if everything between them would change. But brave Belle's gentle touches encouraged him to press on and swallow his uncertainties.

Carefully and uncertainly, he leveled himself with Belle's parts. Her hands covered his, helping him position himself in her comfortably. As soon as he was incased in her spongey, warm cave, Belle began moving them, and Rumple placed a wedge between his need to shoot off and to take care of her. He scaled his hands everywhere he could. Her pulse was racing under his fingertips, her hands holding his waist against her to discourage separation.

Her hand removed one of his from her waist, placing it where they were joined. Rumple felt around, grazing her parts and his, unsure of what she wanted him to do. Thankfully, Belle patiently moved his fingers where she wanted them to be: on top of a spongy button. Each time he pressed on it or moved it around, Belle would moan into his mouth or her thighs would twitch.

Suddenly Belle pulled from his mouth, leaning her forehead against his. Her eyes bore into his and Rumple could see t lust in her dilated pupils. Her hips began to grind against his frantically, creating small whirlpools around their hips. Rumple's talons began to pierce Belle's thighs as his release escalated to its strongest point.

Belle's sex clenched him so tight Rumple released a vibrating cry, his eyes rolling as is seed shot into her. Belle pulled back from him, her mouth screwing in a gasp, the oxygen she had been containing leaving her at a rapid pace.

Still blurry-minded, Rumple gripped her hips and shot through the surface, Belle panting and Rumple shaking.

"B-belle?" Rumple husked, holding her up.

Belle leaned her head against her mer-boyfriend's chest, feeling boneless from the low quantity of oxygen and sex.

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?" he murmured, kissing her wet hair.

Belle yawned, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Just tired. Can you get us back to shore?"

Rumple giggled, filled to the brim with pride and love for his darling Belle and relief for himself. He felt lighter than he had in days, free from the pressing weight of instinctual lust. But he also felt fuller than ever before.

He'd been so lonely before he met Belle, so lonely that he hadn't known at first just how to be with someone else. She had showed him how, showed him how to let affection and love in and give it back.

Now he had a future because he and Belle were connected in a way no one could take away from them.

They were mated for life.

-,-,-,-,

"Rumple?"

Rumple opened his tired eyes, turning on his side and smiling at his mate. "Yes my love?"

"Did you grab my swimsuit?"

-,-,-,-,-,-

Okay…I have no idea how mermaids do it.

I barely know how fish do it, and I frankly don' want to explore any further.

I barely _**barely**_ know how people do it.

So…I did my best.

Good day all.


End file.
